An Ultimatum in Nanda Parbat
by mjf2468
Summary: Oliver is held captive in Nanda Parbat, with Felicity being used as the means for his cooperation. Will he be able to get them out of there, despite threats all around them, as well as stop Ra's al Ghul's evil plans for Starling City? Hints of Olicity.
1. Chapter 1: Capture and Ultimatum

**AN: I began this when we first got those first hints about the showdown between Oliver and Ra's al Ghul. Now that we have received previews for next week's episode, this story will be more AU than canon. However, I will share this first chapter because I am kinda proud of it anyway. **

**This story is my version of how the showdown between Oliver and Ra's could have occurred, and what the Arrow team might face in Nanda Pandat. And just to let you know, Ra's daughter(s) may be appearing as well. And possibly their acquaintances from other comics as well. Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!**

It was to be a fight to the death.

Oliver had tried everything to avoid this confrontation. It was inevitable, however. Him against Ra's al Ghul. On his estate. In his castle. Giving him the home advantage.

But it had not started that way. Instead, a week ago Nyssa had come to Oliver with a message from her father, Ra's al Ghul. "My father states if you do not find Ta-er Sah-fer's killer in forty-eight hours, he will kill everyone in Starling."

The threat was ridiculous. The Arrow team had only been attempting to find those answers for the past two months, and now they were threatened to solve the mystery in two days? Ridiculous. However, they tried, but without success.

So, Nyssa had reluctantly brought him to her father, in Nanda Pandat, and here they were. After Oliver had explained the situation to him, Ra's refused to listen.

"If not their lives, then yours."

A servant brought two swords to Ra's, offered one to his master, and the other to Oliver. In the split second allowed, Oliver realized he had no choice. He cleared his mind of anxiety or fear, for the battle ahead. He only thought of defeating the man in front of him. The two combatants greeted each other, and the battle began.

Oliver was good, and fast, and deadly. However, Ra's was better, faster, and more deadly. The battle ended with Oliver on his back with Ra's sword against his neck. And a change in the ultimatum.

"Come join us. Or die."

Oliver steeled himself. He wondered if this had been Ra's intent all along. However, he could not willingly agree to work with the person who was called the devil. "I choose Death. I will not serve someone like you."

Two of Ra's men were suddenly at his side. Ra's withdrew his sword from Oliver's neck, and the two men pulled Oliver to his feet. Oliver struggled but was unable to get free. Ra's towered over him, and repeated his invitation.

"My answer has not changed. I choose death."

"Even if it means death for everyone else in Starling as well?"

Oliver closed his eyes. He was sure Ra's would follow through on his threat, and attack his city. The faces of his family, his friends…his team…flashed through his mind. His Felicity. But he just could not do it. He could not do whatever it was Ra's had in mind for him to do. He could not align himself with that kind of evil. He had barely survived his time with Amanda Waller; he would not, could not, do it again. Oliver took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and gave his answer.

"I still refuse."

A look of anger flashed in Ra's eyes and was quickly gone. "Take him out of my sight. Make him _comfortable_. I will see to him later."

_Comfortable. _In other words, chains and men dragged Oliver down the hallway, down stone stairs to what would be called a dungeon, complete with iron cells, chains and manacles. Oliver was brought into the cell at the end of the hall, manacles placed around his wrists and ankles, chaining him to the farthest wall. He watched as the guards left, in silence and not meeting his eyes.

Three days he saw no one. He had nothing to eat or drink either. Typical will-breaking behavior.

He then was brought some food, after three days. The same men came and unlocked Oliver's left wrist. He was given the clichéd bread and lukewarm water to rinse it down. Oliver attempted to engage them in some conversation, but without any success. He was just told to hurry up and finish eating. When he was finished, Oliver was then again manacled, and the guards left.

He was left alone for another three days. Again, without food or water. He attempted to keep up his strength by doing some calisthenics in the cell. The chains had some leeway, mainly so he could relieve himself as needed in the pail within reach.

On his sixth day of captivity, he was drifting in and out of sleep when he thought he heard a familiar click-click of heels. Forgetting where he was for a moment, the sound brought comfort to him. Then he remembered, and his eyes shot open.

There she was. His Felicity, being "escorted" towards him by two guards.

She shrugged off the hands of the guards and rushed to the cell. Gripping the bars, she drank in the sight of him hungrily.

"Oliver, oh Oliver, there you are! You are not dead. We have been looking for you."

Struggling to his feet, Oliver asked, "Why are you here?" Forgetting himself, he stretched out for her, but was unable to reach her due to the chains.

"She is here to give you one last opportunity to change your mind, Mr. Queen." The chilling voice of Ra's al Ghul came from behind her, catching both Felicity and Oliver by surprise.

Felicity gave a little yelp as a large sword was placed at her neck, below her chin. "You see, Mr. Queen, your assistance is very much requested. I can no longer take no for an answer."

"Not for me, Oliver!" Felicity said, but gave another little yelp when the sword pressed a millimeter closer into her skin. She closed her eyes and tried not to panic.

"Why, Ra's? Why do you want my help when you know I totally do not want to do this?"

"Now that I have found the perfect 'encouragement' I can be assured you will do your best for me." Ra's pressed the sword again into Felicity's neck. "What is your answer?"

Oliver sighed deeply and met Felicity's eyes again. He gave a small nod to encourage her, and then looked at Ra's. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

Felicity attempted not to cry. She knew Oliver did not have any other choice, but…it hurt just the same, to be once again used as a means to hurt Oliver.

"Just to prove I am not totally unreasonable, we will move you to a room upstairs. You and Ms. Smoak can eat supper together there. Then of course, she will be moved to her own quarters to stay until your assignment is complete."

"What?"

"You didn't think I would just release your 'encouragement', did you? Or keep her within your reach? But don't fret, Mr. Queen. We have an assignment for Ms. Smoak as well, to keep her occupied while she waits."

They were led upstairs, but were not allowed to walk next to each other. Oliver walked behind Ra's, with a guard on either side and behind him. Felicity followed with several more guards. When they had reached a room in the middle of the corridor, nowhere near stairs or windows, the door opened to reveal a luxurious room with carpet, drapes, and bed coverings all in red velvet.

"Enjoy your visit. We will be bringing some supper soon. If you like, Mr. Queen, you can freshen up in the adjoining bathroom."

Ra's and the guards leave. As soon as the door closed, Oliver began to search around the room for possible bugs or cameras. He gave Felicity a look to encourage her to begin with her questions. Who knew how long they would have to talk?

"I am sorry, Oliver, we were just trying to find you, and they found us."

"Us? Roy and Diggle with you?"

Felicity's brave façade cracked a little. "Yes, we were all here. I don't know what happened to them. We were separated right away. I was brought straight to you."

Oliver stopped looking around the room and closed his eyes for several seconds. He took a breath and then met Felicity's eyes.

Suddenly Felicity's façade totally gave way. "I am so scared, Oliver. I tried to ask where they were, but they refused to answer me. It is possible they are out there, working on rescuing us, but…"

Oliver enveloped her in his arms, and felt comforted by Felicity burrowing her head into the crook of his neck. He rested his chin on the top of her head. They stood there for a while, comforting each other, when Oliver thought he better speak. He whispered in her ear, "I am sure there are bugs and cameras here. I just haven't found any yet. So let's try not to show all our cards, but we still need to talk."

Felicity closed her eyes. She had never been so afraid. All she had read about Ra's al Ghul only added to the terror. And now she was being used as "insurance" to force Oliver's cooperation. She tried to tell herself the results would have been the same without her here, that Ra's would have found some other reason to force Oliver's cooperation, but it did not make her feel any better.

The hug barely ended when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. It opened, revealing two servants bringing in a cart and several trays. The servants quickly arranged the cart into a serving table, brought over two chairs, and indicated the two vigilantes to sit. Taking their leave, the servants closed and locked the door again behind them.

"I suppose we better sit and eat." Oliver stated.

"Can we be sure we should eat the food?" Felicity asked. "I mean, who knows what is in the food? Or drink? Should I drink some wine? You know how I get after several glasses? Is there something else to drink?"

Oliver allowed her to ramble for several more minutes, soaking it all in. It was also for her, because her rambles often were a self-soothing measure for Felicity herself. He led her to the table, and they started to eat.

"So…you have no idea what happened to them?" Oliver asked.

"No, I did not hear anything. We landed in Nanda Pandat last night, took one last look at the schematics, and made a plan. Which failed miserably." Felicity put her fork down, and shrugged. "Well, I am not sure. That part did, at least. The part where I was grabbed. I was supposed to provide surveillance…."

"Where were they when you were grabbed?"

"They were just approaching the compound. I was in the van outside."

Oliver decided not to panic. There was a chance they were not captured...yet. He wished his team had not attempted to rescue him, but was not surprised they had.

"Were you able to gather any intel that would give us an idea on what 'missions' Ra's might have for either of us?"

"Nope," Felicity said, popping the 'p' in her typical fashion. "I can't even begin to guess what he might want from us."

They finished their meal in silence, each in their own thoughts. Oliver noted it had been thirty minutes so far. He wondered how long he would be able to have Felicity here with him, safe.

At that moment, the door opened. Ra's entered, followed by three more guards.

"I hope you have enjoyed your visit. I do apologize, but it is time for Ms. Smoak to take her leave."

Felicity looked at Oliver in alarm. They had not had time to discuss much of anything. She noted the tic in his cheek, his tell for when he was distressed.

"It is non-negotiable, Mr. Queen. If you both behave, we can discuss further opportunities for you to spend time together. Just not any more tonight."

"It's alright, Oliver." Standing up, Felicity approached Oliver and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He grabbed her into a hug, catching Felicity off guard. He whispered, "It will be all right. Just do what he says. Don't try anything. Just be safe."

Pulling away, Felicity looked at Oliver. "You too." She gave him her special 'stern Felicity' look.

Oliver smiled at her and nodded. He then looked at Ra's. "She better stay safe."

"As long as she does what she is supposed to do." Ra's pointed to the door, and Felicity left, with a lingering look at Oliver as she went out the door. Several of the guards followed her. Ra's, however, turned back. "Rest for now. Your training will begin tomorrow. As well as getting updated on your mission here." Ra's left, with the remaining guards behind him. Oliver heard the door being locked.

Oliver sat on the bed. He was not looking forward to the days ahead. He could not think of what exactly Ra's would ask him to do. However, he had been such a position before, so this should not be new to him. He thought wryly it could not be any worse than some of the things Amanda Waller had him do in the past. He just thought those days were long past for him.

And whether or not he liked it, Felicity, and possibly Diggle and Roy, were also involved. He definitely did not like it.


	2. Chapter 2: Uncovering Part of the Plan

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I do not. I just own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows! Hope you enjoy this next chapter, and keep letting me know what you think. **

Oliver slept fitfully, unable to totally relax. He was not looking forward to hearing what Ra's al Ghul had planned for him. After sleeping five hours, he rose and began a grueling set of calisthenics to relieve his tension. The door opened suddenly, and Ra's entered, with four guards.

"Here I thought you would still be sleeping."

Oliver met the statement with a stony glare. He finished his abdominal crunches, got up from the floor, took the near-by towel, and wiped the sweat off his face. "What do you want, Ra's?"

"We will discuss your future plans over breakfast. Please be ready in ten minutes."

They left the room, leaving Oliver to change his clothing.

~~OQ~~FC~~OQ~~FC~~

Oliver found himself sitting at one end of a long table, with Ra's at the other. He had foolishly thought perhaps Felicity would join them but Ra's quickly had informed him she would be dining in her room. He was served a full breakfast plate after Ra's, who started eating as soon as the plate had been set in front of him. Oliver observed him for several seconds, and then joined in.

Breaking the silence after ten minutes, Ra's stated, "From what I have seen and heard, your past training and skills are commendable. However, we will spend the next week assessing and confirming them. Then I will tell you more about your mission."

"Mission, singular? And then what?"

"I will then reassess whether we have other things for you to accomplish, or if your debt to us has been repaid."

"My _debt_? What debt?"

"The one you incurred when you accepted assistance from my daughter and her army last spring to save your miserable city."

"I thought Sara had paid the debt off."

"Unfortunately, because of her death, the debt still exists until I determine otherwise."

Oliver barely contained his anger over that statement. The evil the man in front of him exuded was unbelievable. It might conceivably be worse than Waller's, which Oliver had never thought he would ever see. His thoughts were interrupted with Ra's next startling question.

"I understand you and she were lovers."

Oliver dropped his fork. He considered the man sitting across from him but found no hint as to what he was thinking. "What should that matter?"

"It does not."

"Why bring it up?"

"Conversation."

"You do not strike me as a man for idle chitchat. Ra's, come on. What is it you want?"

"You shall see. Once I have determined whether your talents are up for the challenge."

Ra's returned to his food. Oliver felt as if he had been dismissed. Figuring Ra's would not answer any more questions, Oliver decided to finish his own breakfast. So the meal was finished in silence.

~~OQ~~FC~~OQ~~FC~~

For three days, Oliver fell into a routine. He would wake up, do calisthenics in his room, then Ra's or a guard would knock on his door and accompany him to the exercise area. Oliver would spar with one of Ra's men, using various weapons for an hour, then would break for breakfast.

At the beginning of the fourth morning of his "training", Oliver was not aware of his bedroom door opening, and a svelte figure slipping into the room silently.

"You may just be a worthy substitute for my Beloved after all," a melodious voice floated towards Oliver while he was concentrating on his exercises.

Oliver looked up in surprise, and observed a tall brunette leaning casually against the doorway regarding him. He saw she had similar bone structure to Nyssa. "You must be Talia." Oliver said as he continued doing sit-ups while waiting for her answer.

Talia walked into the room, in a long, slow and precise walk. "Nyssa did not mention how handsome you are."

Oliver forced his face not to show any reaction. "Why are you here?"

Talia stopped. She cocked her head and looked at Oliver, raising an eyebrow. "Straight to the point. Hmm, again, similar to my Beloved."

"Well?"

"My father wishes to tell you he will be joining you at your workout today, but he will be late. I am to accompany you to the exercise area today." Oliver rose, grabbing the towel on the sofa near him, and wiped his face. Talia's eyes slowly looked down and then up Oliver's shirtless form, especially taking in the sculpted chest. Her lips curved up in a little smile.

Oliver chose not to respond to the rudeness. "Let's go, then. We would not want to make your father angry with me not showing up on time."

Talia nodded, opening the door and gestured for Oliver to precede her out the door. Oliver walked past her, willing his body not to recoil from her close proximity. He felt her eyes on his backside as he took the lead down the hallway. Talia joined him after a few feet and walked beside him, in silence, until they had entered the gymnasium.

Looking around, Oliver failed to see any of the men who had been taking turns being his sparring partner. He turned around and observed Talia had two swords in her hands. She threw one at Oliver, which he caught handily.

"I am to be your sparring partner today. Swords are my weapon of choice."

She came at him, and he was able to deflect her strike without difficulty. Swords flying, Oliver was able to keep up with her strike after strike until he didn't. Suddenly she had twirled, catching his legs from under him, and he was on the ground on his back, her sword at his neck.

"Well done, Mr. Queen, but not quite good enough." However, those words were barely out of her mouth before she was suddenly on her back, with Oliver flipping her over despite the sword. He pinned her sword hand onto the mat.

"You were saying?" Oliver asked, with a small smile on his lips.

"Enough!" Ra's deep voice echoed throughout the exercise room. Looking down at her, Oliver caught a look passing over Talia's face to which he could not attach a meaning. Talia then quickly scooted out from under Oliver and jumped to her feet.

"Daughter, I warned you to stay away from Mr. Queen. I do not want to relive the drama we had over the Detective."

Oliver wondered if or when he would find out who this mysterious "Detective" was, and if he was the same one as the "beloved" she had mentioned. He observed the faint blush on Talia's cheeks as she rushed out of the room without even a glance at him.

"Before you ask, we will not discuss this Detective, Mr. Queen. I also want you to stay away from both my daughters."

"It wasn't my idea to be around either one of them." Oliver could not fully contain the sarcasm.

A rare smile crossed Ra's face. "I know that, Mr. Queen. However, I am warning you now to stay away from them in the future." With a nod of his head, Ra's indicated the discussion closed. "We shall now begin today's exercises."

~~OQ~~FC~~OQ~~FC~~

That evening Oliver sat on his bed, wondering what the events of today meant. Here it had been four days, and he was no closer to any answers than when his "training" first began. Ra's al Ghul was legendary in his attempts to "redo" the world and what he had already accomplished in dealing with the world's economy. He made Waller look like a kindergartener regarding the deviousness of his strategies.

The door opened suddenly and a blur of blonde hair and bright color rushed in and threw itself into Oliver's arms. "Finally!"

Oliver looked up in surprise as two servants again brought in a table and a full supper. After it was set up, the servants left, leaving a relieved Oliver with his Felicity.

Oliver pushed Felicity away from him, holding her at arms' length. "Are you okay? What have you been doing?"

"Yes, I am fine. You look like you got a few more scars."

Oliver gave a little shrug. "What can a person do?" He gave Felicity a smile, and said, "Do we know anything more about why we are here?"

"I have spent three days trying to track down all security weaknesses in the utilities of Starling."

Oliver's eyes widened, and Felicity shrugged. "I don't know, Oliver. It doesn't look good. But what else could I do?"

Oliver rushed to calm her. "It's okay. You did what I told you to do, to play along. No matter what, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Felicity placed a small hand on Oliver's hardened cheek. "I feel the same way. What have you been doing?"

Oliver smiled down at her. "Let's talk over supper. Again, I am sure Ra's is listening, but I have a feeling it is all part of his plan."

They sat down and started eating. Felicity was not hungry, because she felt her head would explode with all the information trying to come together. She forced herself to eat, partly so Oliver would not worry about her. "So, tell me what you have been up to."

"Ra's has been testing me, but I don't know why. I also met Nyssa's sister Talia."

Felicity picked up on the change in tone when Talia was mentioned. "Oh, sounds like an interesting story." She wondered at the twinge of jealousy springing into her mind.

"Another time. I have not gotten any intel about what my role is to be and what his plan is. But I think your info goes the long way in telling us what he is planning."

"And what is that?"

"I think he may be planning on some sort of biochemical warfare on Starling. Perhaps other cities as well. He has attempted to do such a thing in other cities in the past."

Felicity gave up all pretense of eating and put her fork down. "Oh, this is not good at all, Oliver. Not good at all."

"Between the two of us, we will think of something. Has anything else occurred to you during your hacking?"

"No, not really. Only that some of our city resources need major updates with their computers."

Oliver looked pensive, and resumed eating again. Felicity picked up her fork, but only could push the food around on her plate. "I suppose you have not heard anything about Diggle or Roy?"

"No, I have only seen Ra's henchmen in the gym. I tried to get outside for some 'exercise' but could not convince Ra's of the necessity for it."

"I was able to go outside, several times, but only to an inside garden." Her natural enthusiasm took control. "It was so beautiful, Oliver, almost like the National Gardens I saw in Washington once. Flowers, and trees, and even a small waterfall."

Oliver smiled as she went on with further detail. He knew she needed to discuss other topics, as a way to release tension. As the images crossed his mind, Oliver attempted to glean any possible useful information from them. None was apparent on the surface, though. He filed the information for possible future use, and spent the rest of the time enjoying the company of the beautiful woman beside him.

Time was pleasantly spent until the expected knock came on the door. Felicity sighed as Oliver took her hand and gave it a little squeeze as the two servants entered.

"I do apologize, but it is time for Ms. Felicity to return to her room for the evening."

Oliver rose, and extended his hand to assist Felicity in standing up. He pulled her into a hug and whispered, "Keep up what you are doing. Stay safe, most of all. Please."

Felicity returned his hug. "Please, you too. Don't do anything rash."

Oliver pulled away and smiled down at her. "You just don't worry about that. I will see you soon, ok?"

He watched as she was led out of the room by the servants. Again, the door was closed and locked. Again, he wondered if he should have attempted an escape at that moment, but there were too many unknown variables. As well as the importance of not risking Felicity.

Oliver decided to do some evening calisthenics to wear off the excess energy and worry. He decided to empty his mind and try to get some peace from the simple exercises. After a few exercises, he decided to just let his mind wander as it would.

After successfully worked off enough worry, he took a shower and got ready for bed. Even though it was a little earlier than he would normally retire, Oliver decided to try to get some more sleep. Perhaps his unconscious mind would help him get the answers he was seeking, to find a way to get Felicity and him out of Nanda Parbat.

**AN: Thank you for reading. Hope you are enjoying this. Please let me know what you think! Did you like the special guest star I included? **


	3. Chapter 3: Unveiling the Plot

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I do not; I'm only borrowing them for a while. I just own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Just wanted to thank you for all the favs, reviews, and follows. You guys are the greatest! Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Things are beginning to get interesting.**

Felicity followed the guards back to her room and sat on her bed as she heard the door being locked behind her. She gave a huge sigh, grabbed her pillow, and buried her face in it. Yelling into the pillow, she allowed it to muffle her despair as she let out all the helplessness she was feeling. The thought of Oliver being forced to do something he didn't want to do because of her just gnawed at her.

She reviewed in her mind all she knew with what Oliver shared with her. The fact that Nyssa had a sister, who might be interested in Oliver, was interesting and could be useful. She momentarily played with the idea of suggesting Oliver try to seduce Talia into helping them escape, but she quickly discarded the idea. Somehow she couldn't imagine Oliver agreeing to such a thing. Felicity ignored the little voice inside her head questioning the real reason she discarded the idea.

And the idea of Ra's having some sort of biochemical warfare to use on Starling? Felicity gave herself a face palm for not demanding Oliver to tell her all he knew about Ra's. Clearly he knew more than he had told her, because of his remark about Ra's doing "such a thing in other cities in the past." How was she supposed to help figure out how to get out of here if he didn't share all the information with her? Could it have something to do with the island? Most everything did with Oliver. Felicity rolled her eyes in frustration.

She paced around the room. Being here for almost a week without TV or her computer in the evenings was getting to her. The first night she had wanted to write down her thoughts, but couldn't find any writing utensils in the room. Really, Ra's? Not even paper, pen?

Not knowing what else to do, Felicity began to do some calisthenics. _Who knows, if we are here long enough I may develop my abs after all._ It provided some comfort in doing the simple tasks and emptying out her mind of all her worries. For a little while, at least.

Roy and Diggle flashed into her mind. Ra's would surely have told them if they were captured, wouldn't he? Perhaps even bragged about it. Felicity shook her head. An image of a mustache-twirling villain bragging to his victims floated into her mind, and she shook herself for being so off-topic. Ra's didn't seem to be the type of villain to do such a thing. Getting back on task, Felicity wondered what she could do.

Try as she might, she hadn't been able to come up with an idea as to how to explore the mansion. Every morning she was escorted to a room of computers by guards, and they always took the same way. She had noticed the first morning two guards would remain at her doorway as several more guards escorted her to the computer room. Oliver's room was down another passageway, far enough away from her to be an obstruction in any escape plan they might come up with. When she attempted to dawdle to look down the various hallways on their way, one of the guards would take her by the arm and hurried her along.

After the first several days of uncovering the security breaches of Starling City, she was then informed to do so with the cities of Baltimore and Sacramento. Felicity wondered about the particular choosing of those cities as well. Large enough to be significant, but not the most well-known. She attempted to go as slowly as she dared, but the first several times she tried this Ra's himself reminded her of how Oliver's continued well-being depended upon her "behaving". The third time he felt as though she wasn't working as fast as she could, Ra's took away her joining Oliver for supper that night.

Felicity decided she was done with the exercising for now. Her mind relaxed somewhat, she decided it was time to go to bed. Perhaps, with the additional information Oliver had given her, her unconscious would finally give her some ideas on how they could get out of this mess. She got ready for bed, turned off the light, and rolled over in bed with a sigh. As she had done the previous five nights, exhaustion finally took over and she fell asleep despite the situation.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Oliver was again going through combative moves with one of Ra's men. He turned, and something caught his eye. A group of men were entering the fitness room. His heart sank as he recognized the two men in front. Handcuffed, looking somewhat the worse for wear, were Diggle and Roy. They were led towards Oliver, their heads high, but bruises and cuts were noticeable. The fact they were able to walk on their own was promising, even if their gaits weren't as steady as Oliver would have liked.

Oliver met the group with his own head high. Meeting Ra's eyes, Oliver schooled his features into a blank face. He decided he would not speak first, so he waited for Ra's to speak.

"I am sorry to interrupt your exercises, Mr. Queen, but I believe you would like to know we now have more 'visitors' here."

Diggle met Oliver's gaze and shrugged his shoulders slightly. Roy had his characteristic rebellious gaze on his face, but Oliver could tell he was trying to hide a tinge of fear. Oliver, meeting their eyes, gave a small nod himself.

"I apologize if they have _inconvenienced_ you any, Ra's."

"Oh, not at all, Mr. Queen. I apologize we have not been able to offer you the pleasure of their company before now. It proved to be somewhat difficult to find them before now to extend an invitation."

Looking at the additional guards in the room, and taking in the weakened condition of his comrades, escape at this time wasn't an option. Oliver was suddenly tired of playing any more games.

"Okay, Ra's, what now?" Oliver asked, silently accepting this momentary defeat.

"You see, these two have been very bad. They were able to disrupt some of my plans, but only temporarily. However, they will be kept in your former room until I see fit."

As Roy and Diggle were led out of the room, Oliver interrupted. "Wait! I would like to…_request_…some time with them."

Ra's smiled, as he would at a small child. "Of course, you would, Mr. Queen. However, we cannot allow that, can we?"

Oliver tamped down a flash of anger. He felt so helpless. All he could do was watch Digg and Roy leave with the guards, taking with them any helpful information they might have to offer. At least he knew where they were going to be held. For now. For all the good it did him at the moment.

Ra's nodded to Oliver's current sparring partner, who returned to the exercise mats. "Continue your exercises. I will watch from over here."

Oliver gritted his teeth and closed his eyes for a second. Being ordered around by Ra's was rapidly getting on his nerves. He caught a look of satisfaction crossing Ra's' face and joined the guard on the mat. He began sparring with a renewed sense of purpose, expressing his anger and helplessness in the physical activity.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

After being led to the cell where Oliver had originally been kept, Digg and Roy watched as the guards left after slamming the cell door behind them. Digg and Roy looked around the cell, then looked at each other and sat on the floor.

"Now what?" Roy asked.

"I don't know yet. However, at least we were able to see Oliver," Diggle said. "He looked pretty good, considering."

"Not so happy to see us, though."

"I don't blame him." Digg gave a grim smile.

"So I gather Oliver was held here when he first arrived," Roy said as he was looking around the cell.

"Can't wait to hear that story," Digg smiled. He looked at the manacles and chain at the far end of the cell. "I guess we should consider ourselves lucky we're not chained to the wall."

Holding up his cuffed wrists, Roy said, "For what it's worth, I'm not sure we are any better off only being cuffed."

Sighing, Diggle agreed. "At least we were able to 'inconvenience' Ra's before we ended up here."

"For all the good it did. I am sure they will easily get more explosives to replace the ones we blew up."

"It must have caused him some delay. He was irritated, I could tell." Diggle felt a little sense of satisfaction for causing Ra's any sort of irritation.

"I wonder if explosives is part of the plan involving Oliver, or is there other things going on?" Roy asked.

"Someone like Ra's probably has more than one thing going on at a time."

"I wonder how Felicity is holding up without her computers. I'm sure she hasn't been able to be near one," Roy said with a grin. Felicity without computers wasn't often a pretty sight.

Diggle gave an anguished sigh. "I just hope she's doing okay. I wonder what has been going on. It gnaws at me how pleased Ra's was at not 'allowing' us at least a minute to compare notes." He ran a hand through his short cropped hair. "She has to be okay, otherwise Oliver would've found some way of letting us know. So at least we have that."

Roy nodded in agreement. They both had been worried about the blonde since she had been captured, but had avoided discussing the issue. He hoped Diggle was correct in his assumption she was okay. It did make sense.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Ra's watched Oliver work out with one of the men for an additional hour. He then got up and walked over to the pair. "You can go now," he said, dismissing the man.

Ra's indicated two chairs over at the end of the working area. Oliver followed him and sat down. Ra's gave Oliver a searching look before speaking.

"I think it is time for us to have a talk."

"Oh, now that you have three hostages ensuring my cooperation you want to talk?"

"I certainly would not want to put it so crudely, but…yes. I am glad you understand the situation."

"Are you finally going to tell me what it is you want me to do? And what Felicity is working on?"

"I have decided to begin the renewal of the earth in North America, this time, starting with Starling City, with branches on each coast." Ra's noted the lack of reaction in the younger man's face. "It appears you have already figured this much out. I thought you would."

"If I recall you have already attempted something like this in the past."

"This time I have a better plan. And Ms. Smoak." Ra's waited expectantly for Oliver's reaction.

Dread shivered down his spine. Perhaps he had been wrong in thinking he was the lynchpin in Ra's plan. Perhaps Felicity is in the most danger.

A particularly evil smile crossed Ra's' face. "However, you should not feel left out, Mr. Queen. I do have plans for you as well."

"Are you going to tell me now or do I get to guess?"

"Well, now that we have Mr. Diggle and Mr. Harper here, we can proceed. You three will be responsible for bringing the beginning of new life to Starling, Baltimore and Sacramento."

Oliver didn't like the sound of that. "What exactly do you mean?"

"You see, you three will come up with a plan to get the virus into the waterworks of those three cities. If you do not, then the life of one Felicity Smoak will be forfeit."

Oliver closed his eyes and gripped his hand into a fist. He opened them and said, "I thought you said you won't harm her if I did what you wanted. Haven't I done so?"

"Oh yes, but you are not yet done. Not until you carry out this plan for me." Ra's looked at Oliver, almost as if he was daring the young man to argue with him. Oliver met his eyes with deadly resolve.

"When do we do this?"

"Ms. Smoak is almost done with collecting the data we need. Once she is finished, you will plan with your team how you will accomplish this. Then, when the mission is successful, you and your team will be free to go."

"Go? Go where? After you have destroyed _our_ home, our city? Heck, our country?"

Ra's met Oliver's anger with a bland expression on his face. "Yes, you do bring up a good point." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "However, it will no longer be my concern." Rising, he nodded in the direction of the door, and two guards walked over to them. "Please escort Mr. Queen to his room. He is finished with the exercises, for now."

Oliver rose, not breaking eye contact with his greatest enemy, and with great restraint turned and followed the guards back to his room.

**AN: How evil can Ra's be? How will Team Arrow get out of this? Sorry, but we will have to wait and see! Hope you will leave me a review. Much appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Plot Thickens

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I do not. I just own any original ideas found in this.

Previously:

_Ra's met Oliver's anger with a bland expression on his face. "Yes, you do bring up a good point." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "However, it will no longer be my concern." Rising, he nodded in the direction of the door, and two guards walked over to them. "Please escort Mr. Queen to his room. He is finished with the exercises, for now."_

_Oliver rose, not breaking eye contact with his greatest enemy, and with great restraint turned and followed the guards back to his room_.

Oliver held in his anger until he reached his room. Without looking at his guards, he entered the room and shut the door. He turned and punched the wall beside the door. Biting back a cry of pain, Oliver shook his hand and swore at himself. _I know better than to do that. Why did I do it? It was stupid. _He flexed his hand and his fingers several times, clenching and opening his fist. _Range of motion good, no increased pain. Good, at least I didn't break anything. Luckily._

All things considered, this situation was indeed worse than anything he ever faced with Amanda. Who would've thought he would live to say that? Oliver rolled his eyes, and began to pace in the room. He then decided pacing wouldn't cut it, so he decided to do some isometric exercises. It was a good idea, after all, since he hadn't been allowed much of a cool-off after the exercises.

After twenty minutes, he decided he needed to take a shower. Once he came out of the bathroom in a robe, he found a guard at attention next to the closed door of his room. "I apologize, Mr. Queen, but Master Al Ghul requests your presence for supper this evening."

Oliver nodded his agreement, and watched the guard leave. He quickly dressed again in the simple blue jeans and top he had found in the dresser the first day he was in the room. After collecting his thoughts once again, he knocked on the door and forced himself to remain calm as the lock was turned and the door opened. He then followed the guard to the dining room.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Felicity had been notified she was to eat supper with Ra's tonight. Most evenings, she had eaten supper from a tray in her room. Which, without a TV, was mostly boring. So boring she wasn't nervous about the upcoming meal with the big, scary criminal holding her and her _partner_ prisoner for some, nefarious scheme they could only guess at.

She was led down some hallways she hadn't been down before, but as always, the two guards with her managed to hide most of the details of the building from her as they walked by. _It's becoming monotonous, not being able to see anything around here._

The dining room they walked into was even grander than the one in the Queen mansion. Rich wooden paneling covered the walls, a long mahogany table with overly stuffed chairs, in the style of Kingstown Pembroke with the big scary Ra's sitting at the head of the table.

"Good evening, Ms. Smoak. How are you?" The melodious voice of the man in front of her asked.

Why did the man still make her feel scared all the way down to her toes? "Okay, I guess," she attempted to say in an even tone and a smile. Which was more of a grimace, but perhaps he didn't notice.

"While we wait for Mr. Queen to arrive, I wanted to spend this time updating you on what he and I discussed this afternoon."

_Finally, I get to know something,_ crossedFelicity's mind.

"Because of the excellent work you have done, we have all the data we need to begin my plan for the renewal of the earth in North America."

Recalling what Oliver had told her, Felicity felt her stomach drop. Forcing herself, she asked, "What does that mean, exactly?"

"It means, with your team's help, we will introduce my supervirus into the water supplies of three major cities, causing epidemics and mass deaths. Thus bringing new birth to this tired old Earth."

_Oh my God, Starling City, Baltimore, and Sacramento. The cities I helped him hack into. Oliver was right. _Biting her lip, she prevented the question she had wanted to ask: how could the death of millions bring about renewal? She kept her attention on the despicable man in front of her as he continued.

"And if you and Mr. Queen do not come up with a plan to get the virus into the waterworks of those three cities, then your life will be forfeit."

_What? I didn't quite expect that, I guess. _Felicity laughed. Ra's looked at her in puzzlement. "I must say, I did not expect you to react in such a way."

"It's just so cliché. Can't you think of something more original?" Felicity, her blue eyes widened, covered her mouth with her hand in alarm. "Did I just say that? I did, didn't I? Why would I say that to you? Three, two one…"

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Oliver followed the guards to the dining room where he and Ra's had shared their previous meals. To his pleasant surprise, Felicity was sitting at the table with Ra's. She gave him a nervous smile as he slid into the spot across the table from her. He gave her a wink, then turned his attention to Ra's, who was sitting at the head of the table.

"I am pleased you could join us, Mr. Queen. Ms. Smoak and I were having a most pleasant conversation." Ra's nodded across the room, resulting with waiters bringing in plates of food, which were placed in front of them. Felicity noted the superbly prepared veal, little potatoes, and green beans arranged artistically on the plates, with a side salad provided already at their place settings.

After the waiters left, Oliver smiled grimly and exchanged glances with Felicity. She gave a little smile and nodded her head slightly, indicating she was alright. However, he could tell she was flustered. He wondered what word babble she had completed before he had arrived. Considering his reply, Oliver asked Ra's in falsely casual tone, "May I ask what you were talking about?"

"I started to update her on your mission. Tomorrow, you and your colleagues will begin planning it. I trust you and Ms. Smoak will spend the rest of the evening coming up with possible ideas to bring to the table tomorrow." When Oliver was about to say something, Ra's continued. "I am sorry. I meant, after supper, you and Ms. Smoak will return to your _separate_ rooms and begin to come up with possible ideas. You will then have the opportunity tomorrow to brainstorm with the rest of your team the best plans to carry out your mission."

"Wait, you said colleagues. Plural. Does that mean…?" Felicity asked, breathlessly waiting for the reply. She wasn't sure what she hoped the answer was.

"Yes, Mr. Diggle and Mr. Harper are here." Ra's raised his fork and took a bite of veal.

Felicity shot a scared look at Oliver. Oliver hurriedly said, "They are okay. A little worse for wear, but they were able to walk to my old cell on their own."

"What? Oh. In the basement? Why is that?" She shot a glance at Ra's.

"Because they disrupted some of Ra's plans. Which I don't know the details of." Oliver looked pointedly at Ra's and calmly took a bite of potato.

Felicity was able to swallow a wisecracker reply, but she had to cough in order to do it. Reaching for her water glass, Felicity wished she could have wine. _And a battle cruiser. So we could get out of here._

Clearing his throat, Oliver forced himself to sound nonchalant. "Can you tell us any more about our mission?"

Ra's gave Oliver a searching look. "You really do not need any more information at this time. You will get everything tomorrow."

Oliver couldn't help himself; he rolled his eyes. Looking up, he found Felicity glaring at him. He gave a little shrug and returned his attention to his plate for several minutes. "So have you told Felicity what our 'incentive' is supposed to be?"

Felicity shot Oliver a look, fear in her eyes. Oliver sighed, knowing the answer. He gave Felicity a little smile, sheepishness in his eyes. _I bet she's wishing she could tell me to behave._

"Yes, she has been informed her life is to be forfeited if you men fail at your mission." Ra's sounded like he was ordering pizza, not the possible death of a young woman. Oliver wondered about how he could sound so casual. But then again, the man was supposedly over 600 years old and responsible for thousands of deaths. He looked across the table at Felicity, to see her reaction.

"Oliver, don't worry. I mean, everything is going to be fine. Right? I mean…" Felicity's usual word babble failed her, and she looked at Oliver helplessly.

Oliver wasn't sure whether she was trying to distract herself or make him feel better. He smiled and gave her a small nod. Trying to come up with another item of discussion, he stated, "My compliments to your chef, Ra's. The veal is excellent."

"Yes, I must say I have been pleased with my kitchen staff while here."

"Otherwise they would lose their heads?" Felicity found herself asking. She clapped her hand over her mouth again. Shaking her head, she mumbled, "Why, oh why must I say such things?"

Ra's looked at Oliver. "She really is something, is she not? She must always keep things interesting for you, doesn't she?"

Felicity looked at Oliver just in time to catch an indescribable look cross Oliver's face. He then said, "Yes, she certainly does," catching her eyes.

Hoping she would redeem herself, Felicity said, "Yes, the food is delicious. I usually don't eat veal, because of all the controversy…" She looked at Oliver. "I'm just not going to say anything more."

Ra's reached out and patted Felicity's hand. "It is perfectly all right, Ms. Smoak. My daughter Nyssa did warn me of your…shall we say, interesting, way of communicating. She is correct. It can be charming."

Felicity kept her face from reacting to the touch of his hand, or the shiver down her back. "Speaking of Nyssa, is she here? It would be nice to see her again." _I actually was able to say that without choking?_

"No, she is currently on another assignment. However, you may meet my other daughter Talia. Mr. Queen already has."

Felicity bit her lip, so she wouldn't start another babble. She really didn't know what she wanted to say about yet another mad assassin running around. Realizing she still had food on her plate, Felicity returned her attention back to eating.

Several minutes passed with nothing but the clink of silverware as the three ate. Oliver wondered if it was going to be a battle of wills as to who would break the silence. After several more minutes, Oliver decided to change the subject. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss, Ra's?"

"No, but I would certainly think you and Felicity have a lot to catch up on. Feel free to discuss whatever you want."

Felicity suddenly became even more uncomfortable. How could Ra's think Oliver and she would ever talk freely in front of him? She looked over at Oliver, who shrugged and took another bite of food. Felicity usually wasn't tongue-tied, but at this time she was. Of course there were a million things she wanted to ask Oliver. However, nothing she wanted to ask in front of the big scary villain.

After several more minutes, Ra's took one last bite, put down his fork, and rose from his chair. "I am finished with my meal. I am going to retire now, for I have some business to check on." Ra's pointedly looked at Oliver's and Felicity's plates, not quite empty. "I see neither of you is finished. I suppose I will allow you to finish your meal. I apologize I cannot stay." He left, followed by two of the guards. Four guards remained, who were standing strategically around the room.

"I wonder how long we can stay here." Felicity asked as she started to finish her supper.

"Ra's didn't put a time limit on it. So, did he tell you he expects Roy, Digg, and me to actually participate in the contamination of three cities' water supplies with a megavirus?"

"No, he didn't! I don't think I like that. And how are we to plan for something like this anyway?" Felicity snuck a glance at some of the guards standing around. "What _can_ we discuss right now with all sorts of ears around?" she said, in an attempted stage whisper. Of course, for Felicity, her stage whisper was only slightly softer than her normal voice.

Oliver hid a smile. "Not much." He also looked at some of the guards. "You still doing okay? Not irritating Ra's too much?"

"Well, as much as I could. I did try to slow down on my results, but he saw through it right away. So he didn't 'allow' us to eat together the night he found out."

Oliver didn't like the sound of that. "I told you to be careful and not try anything."

"Don't get all 'grr' on me, okay? I had to try something; I'm going bonkers here."

"I know," Oliver sighed. "Me too. Let's see how tomorrow goes."

Felicity looked at her plate. Her appetite had been so-so since this had all began. She pushed some of it around her plate, wishing she was at home with her mint chocolate chip ice cream and Dr. Who.

"I wish I could get you some ice cream," Oliver said with a smile.

"My hero," she smiled at him.

"We'll get out of this somehow," Oliver said softly.

"With our country intact?" Felicity tried to not have her voice tremble at the thought of everyone they knew dying, but wasn't successful.

"Yes," Oliver answered with as much confidence as he could. For her sake.

Felicity let herself settle into the comforting sound of that one word said in Oliver's Arrow voice. The voice which always brought her confidence.

One of the guards approached Oliver. "I apologize, Mr. Queen, but Ra's suggests you and Ms. Smoak retire to your rooms at this time. You both have a very busy morning tomorrow."

Oliver nodded. "Have a good night, Felicity. We'll talk more tomorrow, then." He winked at her and got up from his chair.

Felicity sighed. Getting up from her chair, she watched as Oliver was led out the door first by two of the guards, and another guard gestured to her to go next.

**AN: Thank you again for reading. Please let me know what you liked about it. Hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing this! Thank you for all the favs, reviews, and follows. **


	5. Chapter 5: Helping the Enemy

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I just own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Are we excited about seeing the new Arrow episode, finally?! Here is my next chapter. Hope you are enjoying this AU. Thank you again for all the reviews, favs and follows. **

Oliver rose at the same time he had been all week, doing the same routine, including calisthenics, showered and got changed. He was barely finished when there was a knock on the door.

Diggle and Roy walked in, followed by two guards, who took their place beside the door. A servant walked in, pushing a cart full of breakfast food. He placed it by the coffee table, nodded at Oliver, and turned to leave. The two guards followed, and the door closed and lock turned.

Oliver walked over to Diggle. "Hey, Man, great to see you," and gave him a hug. He then approached Roy and also gave him a hug. "You too."

Roy, needing to break the tension, said, "Do you mind, let's eat. We didn't get any supper last night."

The three men loaded up their plates and sat down to enjoy the feast of scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon, sausage, toast, and pastries. "One thing you gotta say about the man, he sure sets a good table." Diggle said with a smirk.

"Sorry your accommodations haven't exactly been up to par," Oliver said.

"Speaking of which, that is one story you can tell us about when we get out of here, the first days in the dungeon." Diggle said with a smile.

"It's not all that exciting a story. But the thing is, we better get going on the topic at hand. What are we going to do about Ra's?" Oliver asked.

"Hey, that's right. Ra's didn't tell us anything. He said you would get us up to date. So what's up?"

Oliver sighed. "It seems that Ra's wants to destroy the country with biological warfare. We three are going to help distribute a megavirus into the water supply. Felicity has been researching the security flaws of the water systems of three chosen cities. Sacramento, Baltimore…and Starling City."

"What?" both Diggle and Roy exclaimed.

"And if we fail to do this, Felicity's….life is…in Ra's own words, forfeit."

Diggle and Roy didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry I got you guys into this mess," Oliver said with his bland expression on his face.

"Oliver, for the millionth time, quit it. We are a team, we know the risks, and nothing, I repeat nothing, will happen to Felicity. You hear me, Oliver?" Diggle asked the younger man in his sternest voice.

"Yeah, I know." At a look from Diggle, he said, "Really, I know. However, we need to talk about other things now. We have to figure out how to go along with Ra's but only so far." Oliver punched his fist into his hand. "To plan the break-ins. Maybe even how to stop it if we get to the carrying out phase."

"Oliver, we can't let Ra's get that far. There's no way we can leave Nanda Parbat. If we do, there's no way we can stop his plans, not if we're separated."

Oliver paced up and down the room, frantically combing his hands through his hair. "I know, Digg, I know. But he threatened Felicity. What else can we do?"

Roy said, "We can't even make weapons like we did in Corto Maltese."

Oliver looked at Roy and shrugged. "Don't I know it. Ra's hasn't given me one _millimeter, _much less an inch. And Felicity hasn't been able to divert from his plans one inch either."

A knock on the door preceded Felicity entering the room. One of the guards following her said, "Master al Ghul wishes to inform you that you have two hours to work on your assignment."

Oliver stood up. "Two hours? What kind of time allowance is that?"

The guard straightened himself up unconsciously to compete with Oliver's threatening pose. "I don't know. He states it's only a starting point, and he will reevaluate everything at that point." He then turned around and left.

Felicity gave Diggle and Roy hugs. "Boy am I sure happy to see you two. I've been so worried about you I couldn't stand it."

"Same here, Blondie, same here." Roy said with a smile.

"So, any ideas what we can do, to get out of here?" Felicity said, taking a seat on the couch.

The three men exchanged glances. "Come on, guys, don't choke now. We have to figure this out. And we will, I have faith. Go Team!" she said, adding a fist bump and a trembling smile.

Felicity gestured to a file folder she was holding. "Ra's said he didn't give you anything. Everything we need is in here." She leaned over and handed the folder and a pen to Oliver, who started reviewing the information he found in there.

"Blondie, there is food here, have some breakfast," Roy said.

Felicity got up and got herself a plate and a tall cup of coffee. "I miss my lattes," she said as she sat down. "Luckily, this coffee is at least passable."

"Guys, I suppose we better get down to it," Oliver said, with his usual 'get down to business' look. "This is what's in the folder." He proceeded to outline the basic information in the folder, and then moved on to each facility and they brainstormed ideas for each one.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Two hours later, a knock on the door preceded the entrance of two guards, who then took position on either side of the door as Ra's entered the room. Ra's looked at the four Arrow members and sat down in the chair Oliver had vacated when the door opened.

"So, Mr. Queen, what has your team developed so far?"

Oliver looked at the man across from him, trying to gauge whether he had listened in on their conversation. Per usual, there was no clues of any kind from Ra's expression. Oliver handed Ra's the folder and the plans. Ra's gave Oliver a look, and Oliver handed him the pen as well. Ra's opened up the folder and read the plans with a blank expression on his face.

After five minutes of his shuffling papers, and reading all the plans, Ra's stated, "You have an impressive team here, Mr. Queen."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I do apologize you have to work under duress, but this is fine work. Very fine work indeed. This will help my cause extensively. This, and of course Ms. Smoak's contributions," he added, giving Felicity a small smile, which caused a chill down her back.

"What's next?" Oliver asked, wondering if he'd be given a straight answer.

"I'm glad you asked. I have changed my mind. I don't believe I could trust you three out there in the field to carry out the mission, even with the superb motivation of Ms. Smoak's life. So I have decided I will use my men exclusively."

Oliver schooled his features and tamped down the flare of annoyance shooting up into his throat. Diggle and Roy exchanged glances, and Felicity looked at all three men, wondering what to think.

"I have a feeling this doesn't conclude our 'obligation'," Oliver said.

Ra's shrugged. "What can I say? It fulfills Mr. Harper's and Mr. Diggle's obligations."

Felicity said without thinking, "I don't like the sound of that. You don't mean…"

"No, Ms. Smoak, I do not mean to kill them. Unless they get in my way again. Of course, they will be my guests, as will you, until the mission is completed."

Felicity was busily processing the information when she suddenly sat up with a gasp. She swallowed, and slowly asked, "But you didn't mention Oliver…"

Roy and Diggle exchanged glances. They weren't sure how to take this direction the discussion had taken. Diggle looked at Oliver, who had his characteristic inscrutable expression on his face.

Oliver couldn't get over the amount of games that Ra's was playing with him. More than Slade ever did. Actually, Ra's made both Slade and Amanda look like amateurs in the field of psychological warfare. He seriously doubted Ra's had changed his mind about including Team Arrow on the actual carrying out of the "missions". Something else was involved. Steeling himself, he made the effort to ask, "What do you have in mind for me, Ra's?"

"Over the past week, I have been extremely impressed with your combat skills, and I now see your strategic skills as well. As you know, I only have two daughters. I don't have any sons to be my heir."

"In this day and age you dare say something so misogynic?" Felicity asked.

Oliver gave a little laugh and smiled at Felicity. She looked in alarm at Oliver and shrunk a little bit into the couch cushions.

"As I was saying," Ra's looked at Felicity, "I need an heir. The one I originally had planned on did not work out. Then Nyssa told me about you, and I thought, perhaps you would work."

Oliver took a breath. _Don't irritate the madman, _Oliver warned himself. He cleared his throat. "I really wasn't planning on leaving Starling."

"Oh, you forget, Mr. Queen. We are going to take care of the city for you. You will then have nothing holding you back from joining me and my cause here."

"Except for one _little_ detail you seem to have overlooked. I don't _want_ to be part of your cause."

Ra's casually let his gaze roam over Oliver's three companions, resting on Felicity a few seconds more. He then turned to Oliver and said, "Oh, I think you will be changing your mind."

Rising to his feet, Ra's said, "I think we have accomplished quite a bit today. Unfortunately, it is time for your friends to take their leave. Ms. Smoak has more computer…work to do for me, and Mr. Harper and Mr. Diggle…" Ra's looked contemplative. He shrugged, and said to one of the guards, "Bring them to the Turquoise Suite. As long as they behave, we don't need to keep them down in the dungeon at this time."

Ra's watched as Diggle and Roy left, after exchanging fist pumps with Oliver and smiles with Felicity, followed by two guards. Ra's looked at Felicity then, and she jumped. "Oh, I suppose I have to leave too?" She went over to Oliver and gave him a hug. "Just keep behaving. It'll be okay." She whispered in his ear. Oliver returned her hug without comment. He watched as she walked out the door, followed by one of the other guards.

"Now, I would imagine, you feel the need for some exercise, especially after all the 'planning' you have done this morning, so Marcus will bring you to the exercise room and spar with you there."

Oliver looked at Ra's silently, grabbed a towel and followed the guard out the door. He knew he was grateful he was going to have the opportunity to wear off some of his stress brought on by the newest information Ra's had shared. However, he wasn't going to give Ra's the satisfaction of acknowledging that.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Diggle and Roy were led to a suite with two bedrooms and a small living area. The drapes were a light blue color with the luxurious, thick carpet a darker blue. Roy jumped onto the couch and put his feet on the coffee table. Diggle gave the younger man a disapproving look.

"So, this sure beats a medieval dungeon, doesn't it?"

"Really, Roy? Were you raised in a barnyard?" Diggle walked past him, knocked his legs off the table as he passed by, and sat on the other end of the couch.

"No, place even worse. The Glades." Roy looked around the room. "No TV. Boy, if Felicity has been living without both no TV and a computer, I'm surprised she hasn't popped an artery yet."

Diggle shook his head, but chose to ignore the statement.

"Do you think Ra's was serious about what he said about Oliver? I don't really see Oliver as heir to the Demon."

"Wait a minute. Doesn't Nyssa call herself Heir to the Demon? Does she know she is being replaced?"

"Ooh, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the area when she finds out."

**AN: Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think. It does feed the muse.**


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